The Blackhearts must have really stepped up their operations in the years Dallas had been gone.
“We’ll take them together,” Dallas said resolutely, steeling himself for another surge as the SUVs and cars raced toward them.
Suddenly, a wave of air blasted over them, and Dallas saw two dragons dive out of the low clouds.
Clancy and Harrison. They’d arrived just in time.
With a single breath, Harrison’s huge green- and gold-scaled dragon blew a large swath of fire, drawing a circle around the vehicles as they skidded to a stop, completely surrounded by an impassable wall of flames.
Then a second later, Clancy the swamp dragon sprayed a thick mist of green acid over the vehicles, which clung to the cars like heavy oil, and a loud hissing sound filled the air. The occupants immediately leaped free from their cars as each and every vehicle was quickly reduced to a bubbling pile of black goo while the mercenaries watched, aghast.
With two heavy thuds, Clancy and Harrison landed next to Dallas, growling and watching as the reinforcements dropped their weapons, helpless against a tiger, an alpha wolf, and two dragons.
“Beck’s back at the ranch. Sorry we’re late,” Harrison said with a low growl.
“Seeing two basilisks fighting in the distance sure helped us find you faster,” Clancy said. “Speaking of basilisks, where are those damn things?”
Dallas looked once more over his shoulder at the basilisks, only to see that both of them were gone, leaving only the strange man with the tattoos and the multicolored irises alone, striding toward them from the center of the field.
It was over.
And to his amazement, they’d done it together, as a crew. A true family, forged by hard work and trust and care.
Mel nestled against him, and Dallas’s tiger growled with satisfaction that she was here with him.
Only the commotion coming from Reno’s direction could interrupt their happy moment.
“What do you want me to do with this guy?” Reno asked, teeth still clenched down on the man’s jacket as he tried feebly to escape.
“That’s him. The one who’s running this whole thing,” Mel said, pointing, and Dallas put himself between her and the person who had to be Madsen.
The leader of the Blackheart Assassins.
“You damn yokels with your damn dragons and your damn tiger ruining everything!” Madsen’s composure was all but gone, and though he was clearly wounded, probably keeping him from shifting into his cougar form, he still had enough rage to spit obscenities at them.
Dallas paced forward, growling down at the criminal who’d tried to start a war, who’d allowed children to be tortured into killers, and who’d threatened his mate.
The last part was the most unforgivable to Dallas.
“Why?” Dallas had to ask, confronted with the harsh truth of his past in meeting Jasper and now Madsen.
“Because tigers are rare. Valuable. I knew the second I had that dragon’s blood all those years ago, I wanted to make the ultimate killer to stand by my side, even one day replace me. But you’re just a wasted investment,” he spat.
Reno shook him roughly, dazing Madsen.
“He’s not anyone’s investment. Or killer, for that matter!” Mel was suddenly in front of Dallas, pointing an angry finger at Madsen, who had the brains enough to remain silent. “He’s the most wonderful, thoughtful, protective man ever, in spite of what you people tried to do to him. And I’ll count my lucky stars every day I get to just be around him.”
Everyone was silent except for Clancy, who grinned in amusement at the situation.
“Damn straight,” Harrison added, and Reno nodded in assent.
Madsen frowned but remained silent as Harrison stomped away to put out the fire he’d started before it spread, corralling the mercenaries easily with his sheer size.
Meanwhile, Dallas came up to Mel, who turned to face him, still fuming with anger at Madsen.
“You really meant all of that?” he asked, nuzzling her again.
“Of course I do! I’m just so sorry. I know better now than to run from the person I love again. Even if he’s a shifter.”
“A shifter who will tear anything apart that comes for his mate.”
“Of course.” She smiled, relaxing.
To the side, the mysterious basilisk finally reached them, folding his arms and just… standing there.
Dallas didn’t have time to thank him, though, when there was more flapping of huge wings, beating the air around them. For a moment, Dallas wondered if Beck had shown up, but he looked up and saw two transparent, shimmering masses indistinguishable against the cloudy sky. Cloaked dragons.
And when they disappeared a short distance away, Dallas saw two unfamiliar men striding toward them, one wearing a Stetson and a cuffed shirt with blue jeans, the other wearing a black shirt and black pants.
“Aw shit. Double dragons,” Clancy said.
If they were here for Mel, then Dallas sure as hell wasn’t going to let that happen.
He and his family turned to face the two mysterious, well-dressed men headed for them and readied themselves for anything.
23
Everything had happened so fast that Mel’s mind was still racing to put it all together.
But the warmth in her heart when she was next to Dallas, the calm and peace and confidence he gave her, were more than enough proof that she knew what she wanted from here on out.
Dallas.
It had been awesome seeing them all work together to take on such a big group of bad guys. And even though she’d like to properly get to know everyone in their new forms, she could surmise just based on their features.
Light wolf fur and bright-blue eyes: Reno. Sapphire eyes and a surly Texas drawl: Harrison (also just based on the way Dallas and Harrison spoke with each other). The other dragon had to be Clancy with those bright-green eyes and laidback attitude, even if the big, scaly green beast was horrifying to look at.
But that didn’t explain who the two men striding toward them right now were.
There was a shimmering, sparkling green in the air next
